Yes, I am sadly aware that i have very short chapters, but I swear they'll get longer! Just stop making my feel like I'm stingy!
Turnfeather
Chapter 3
Falling into a familiar flight pattern, their training with the Pure Ones kicked in and they began to suspiciously circle a small section of trees. Slowly lowering themselves into a large tree with a hollow that looked big enough to house them all, Marl and Khrys stood guard while Sagax and Nerda checked out the tree.
After they confirmed that the place was safe, each left to do a different job. Nerda went to collect the softest moss she could find for their small over-night trip. Sagax was surveying the surrounding area and marking their current position. Khrys was hunting with ferocity, the words Marl spoke earlier still loud in her mind.
Marl himself cleaned the hollow of insects and dead moss from the time the place was a former dwelling. In the little bits of moss were the feathers of a Great Grey owl, and a Burrowing Owl. Near one of the smaller bunches of moss were talon marks, too large to be a chick (a chick's talons wouldn't even be developed to leave marks beyond tiny pokes) but too small to be a owl of ordinary size, leaving it to be either a Elf or Pygmy Owl, but the Pygmy Owl theory was more likely. Elf owl's didn't often fly far from Kuneer. At the base of the tree were some pellets, and within the array were Barn Owl pellets, so obviously a type of Barn Owl was here as well with them.
Marl gave a little sigh and continued with his given job. Algie was their tracker, and was specifically trained for that position like how Sagax was trained for navigation, Nerda for espionage, Himself in the mastery of weapons, and Khrys in battle strategy. He was happy that from being together for so long had allowed their unique knowledge to rub off on each other.
And while Marl had said such moving words before, and he had meant what he said! He still missed their Algie deeply. He missed the debates they'd have over pointless things: which type of prey was better, whether a storm would pop up, what that cloud in the sky looked like. Algie made them laugh more than ever. And he missed that laughter.
Movement at the opening of the hollow had him look up from his collecting. Nerda sat there, staring at him with a wad of moss in her beak. Then she broke out into laughter, doing all she could to keep from falling off of the branch, finally throwing herself into the hollow. Sagax, finished with his surveillance, and Khrys, three plump voles clasped by their tails in her beak lighted down onto the outside branch and stepped in, only to begin laughing as well.
By now Marl's feathers were so ruffled he could've resembled a feathery cacti. "What? What?!" He demanded, embarrassment making his hoot rougher. Feeling hot underneath his feathers, he glared at them until Sagax finally regained some sense. "Y-you're green!" He couldn't contain himself any longer and began to laugh again. Marl, fed up with it, lighted down to the nearby lake and got a good look at himself. Soon he was laughing just as hard as they were. With his feathers fluffed up so much, it was obvious what it was that was so hilarious. His feathers were matted with what looked to be green mush, staining his usually beautifully brown feathers a icky green. He looked as though a tree had barfed on him. Added to that, some stray moss had attached itself to the mush in thick cords, making it look like he had worms coming off of him too.
As he laughed with his family he realized that inadvertently, he had gotten their laughter back. Algie must have been laughing at them from Glaumora.
... I have the feeling that this sucks, and I apologize for it. I just need to give you all a firm grip on their personalities before the Band/Chaw of Chaws and the Guardians pop up somehow.
Please don't hate me!
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Yours in Fandom,
Dethia.